


like, in general

by wellexcuuuuuseme



Category: Fanboys (2008)
Genre: M/M, idk man... idk, this movie shoulda been gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7333327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellexcuuuuuseme/pseuds/wellexcuuuuuseme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric just found out about the dying thing, and tries to have a conversation with Linus. He wants a clean slate, but Linus doesn't think so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like, in general

"Sit down, we're ganging up on Windows in Mario Kart" welcomed Hutch. Eric hadn't been in the garage for years.

"Can't. I'm here to talk to Linus, actually." Eric said, which made Linus turn around, gravely quizzical, with Nintendo noises as a backdrop. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Linus kept walking, he didn't know what Eric was going to say, but he didn't exactly want to hear it. 

"Linus, hold up! What the hell, man? I did nothing to you." 

"Exactly, you did nothing." Linus replied, the sound of Hutch and Windows shuffling at the fence behind him. "Absolutely nothing. Eric Bottler, graduates high school and never looks back. You bailed on our plan, man!" Meaning: 'you bailed on me'.

"What plan? To be the 'next big thing in comics'? Come on, that was never going to happen." He caught the wince at that. "I did what I had to do, dude. I grew up. I'm the only one who did, look at you guys."

"You know, you think you fool everybody with the cheap suit and salesman-of-the-year pitch, but I know you better than anybody. And deep down," he paused, let the weight of the words set just a subtle moment. "You are one miserable son of a bitch." He turned around, he didn't want Eric to see how much this conversation was shaking him.

"Miserable, huh?"

"Yeah, miserable. Lonely." Linus said, turning back to face Eric.

"'Cause if you ask me, miserable is wasting your life away in Hutch's garage, playing video games and arguing whether or not Luke really had a thing for Leia." 

"You know, as well as anybody, that once Luke knew Leia was his sister it was hands off." 

The end of their conversation was code. They were best friends, why wouldn't they have secret codes? Back in middle school, they realized Windows was not great at taking hints and sometimes got upset if he felt left out (which wasn't his fault, he was just autistic) so they determined that if they started arguing about something they both agreed on (that Luke and Leia together is gross, they're siblings) that would mean 'let's meet up in private and I'll tell you something I don't want the others to hear' which actually came in handy in high school.

Anyway, after Linus drove away, Eric followed him. When he caught up he could tell that Linus had been crying but didn't say anything about it.

They checked to see if they were really alone (they were) and waited for the other to start talking again. 

Eric broke the silence. "Give me a chance, man. I want to talk to you."

"Why should I? Give you a chance? You left, man. You left me."

"Yeah, I know, but can we-"

"I told you, graduation night, pumped full of adrenaline, that I had feelings for you. And what did you do? Fucking disappear."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Fuck, I was scared, man."

"Fuck! You think I wasn't scared? You think I hadn't rehearsed that conversation a million times in my head, for months?"

"I know, of course you were scared, but you deal with fear better than I do. I waited outside haunted houses every Halloween for how many years? Because you know how to face shit and my impulse is to duck out."

Linus paused, tearing up again. "Do you know... how long it took me to get over you?"

"You did?" Eric breathed. He heard a pain in his throat, the sting of hearing Linus say that entering his voice. "'Cause I never got over you."

Linus closed his eyes for a second. "Fuck, no. I just..."

Eric leaned forward slowly, looking up at Linus' eyes and brushing his nose against his cheek as he turned his head. His eyes asked 'is this okay?' and Linus nodded, firmly but very slightly considering how close their faces were. They kissed, gently at first, then harder. 

Eric rested his forehead on Linus' and kept his eyes closed. "You're so good, you know that?"

"At kissing?" 

"I meant like, in general, but yeah."


End file.
